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Sweetgrass Aboriginal Bistro
108 Murray Street
Ottawa, Ontario
(613) 562-3683
Kandy Bar Cuisine
4147 St. Laurent
Montreal, Quebec
(514) 847-1578
I used to lay awake some nights wondering how to cook country food in an haute cuisine style. You know, take the traditional foods and spruce them up a bit. After all, they are healthier than many store-bought foods but I was tired of cooking with lard and other such substances.
I’m glad to say I wasn’t the only one thinking about this. I wasn’t even close to being the best one to think about it. The Ottawa restaurant Sweetgrass is amazing. Two chefs, Phoebe (used to be Blacksmith) and Warren Sutherland (they got married) came together to create something wonderful; an Aboriginal cuisine restaurant that not only works but is hot, hot, hot.
The décor is totally First Nations with crafts and artwork on the walls (you can even buy some pieces there) and the ambience is friendly and courteous. The staff is helpful and great. Even if they weren’t friendly I would still go back for the food. I still remember one server coming around offering fresh bannock.
It was during the entrees. Lisa was having the Wild Mushroom Soup and I was having the Seafood Cakes. These seem like such simple names for such fantastic creations. Remember the bannock? As the waiter was taking away the Wild Mushroom Soup I was still dipping the bannock in to get the last of the soup at the bottom. Usually I do not do this at restaurants but it was so good. As for the Seafood Cakes I practically had a sea in my dish from the amount of drool coming from the corners of my chin. Thank god I had some bannock to sop it up.
After that initial tasting I was ready for anything. Lisa ordered the Tasting of Red Deer, which featured deer with wild mushroom in rice and sautéed chicory. Very nicely done and the chicory was amazing. Previously I had only thought of it as a coffee substitute or additive. The Two Birds with One Stone ended up on my plate. It was charboiled quail and partridge with mashed sweet potatoes.
I was in seventh heaven. The food was fantastic; the service above reproach and the company was great. In addition to Lisa, a fellow journalist, Kenny Loon and his family were my dinner companions. We noticed two federal cabinet ministers arrive, Bill Graham, Minister of National Defense and Carolyn Bennett, Minister of State (Public Health). It just goes to show you’ll never know who you’ll see at the Sweetgrass Bistro. A main course costs $16-32. Definite recommendation by Will on the Grill.
Kandybar is a Montreal experience to be sure. It’s an intimate setting that is in a style all its own. You’ll find it easy to talk over the background music until later when people want to dance. It all depends on what the largest numbers of patrons want.
What makes or breaks this dining and wining experience for you is the manic energy of restaurant owner Kathy Kandyba. Watching her flit from table to table to talk with customers was a show in itself. One that I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed. It helped to create an interesting atmosphere that I can honestly say I haven’t seen anywhere else. I ran across the Kandybar phenomenon quite by accident. A friend worked there as a chef and I wanted to see where he worked.
Kathy, the owner, started working at La Cabane, another restaurant/bar, about 13 years ago. She was a waitress on the Main and became an owner on the Main. That takes a whole lot of dreaming. The dream and a lot of work.
I took a look around. The kitchen was so clean I was almost afraid to move. That kitchen is the factory for some great cooking. Kathy’s mother’s recipe for perogies is great. It’s one of the top sellers at this restaurant. Regular menu items include chili, burritos (very popular), a Cordon Bleu chicken, lasagna and meatloaf. The prices are reasonable too, ranging from $4 to $9.95.
I was so impressed with the quality of the food I decided to bring them some country food and see what they could do with it. Below is the resulting recipe and it is out of this world. My challenge to Steve Townstead, the head chef, was create something that could easily be duplicated up north.
Kandybar Karibou
5 lbs caribou (may
substitute moose)
1 cup of onions diced
2 tbsp garlic crushed and cut up
beef stock (enough to cover meat)
2 cups demi-glaze
2 cups wild berries (in this case we used raspberries, blueberries and blackberries)
flour
1. Dredge caribou with flour.
2. Brown caribou
3. Add onions and garlic. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
4. Add beef stock. Just enough to cover meat and bring to a boil.
5. Stir in demi-glaze and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
6. Add berries and simmer for another 20 minutes or until tender.
Tomato and Beef Pasta
This is a cool recipe. A neighbour made it for me and gave me this recipe.
3 cups Penne pasta
(or macaroni)
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive (or cooking) oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tsp chili paste
(not tomato paste)
3 cups chopped tomato
1 1/2 cups thin strips
of leftover cooked beef
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarse ground pepper
1/2 cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1. Cook pasta in boiling water and salt in large uncovered pot for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but firm. Drain. Return pasta to pot. Cover to keep warm.
2. Heat olive oil, garlic and chili paste in large frying pan on medium for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until it smells great.
3. Add tomato, beef and parsley. Heat and stir for about 4 minutes until tomato is softened and beef is heated through.
4. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper. Heat and stir for 1 minute.
5. Add to pasta. Add Parmesan cheese.
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